SCHOOL LEADERSHIP FOR THE

21 CENTURY
ST

ALEAH T RADIAB
 21st Century Learners are new Breed

Generation Alpha are children born from 2010 and beyond (2025).
They are the first generation entirely born within the 21st century. They are also
known as the iGeneration. They are the children of the Millennials.
Generation Alpha use smartphones, drones, tablet computing, apps, and 3D
television. They don’t know or can imagine how life was without them.
Like Generation Z, they are extremely comfortable with technology, having grown
up using it: many of them were given smartphones or tablets to play with before
they could even walk.
 21st Century Learners are new Breed
There’s a new breed of learners in our midst. This generation of learners are unlike any generations
before them. They’ve grown up in a world surrounded by digital technology and are being asked to meet
higher academic standards. They believe that asking “why” is just as (or even more) important as asking
“how”. This group of students are also expected to understand concepts, algorithms and theories at a
much deeper level than ever before. This group of learners are called the “21st Century Learners”.
This unprecedented access to technology means our students have more information available to them
than we could have dreamed of, even a couple of decades ago. They can teach themselves almost
anything they want to know using the resources available to them. They are also unaware of the borders
that used to strictly contain our experience of the world. Small children can communicate with people all
around the world at the touch of a button. They increasingly have friends in numerous countries, and
grow up expecting that international travel will be a common part of their life.

As educators, we are tasked with helping these capable, intelligent children prepare for challenges
we can’t fully foresee. That requires a whole new kind of leadership schools haven’t required in the past.
 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A 21ST CENTURY LEADER?

21st Century school leaders enthusiastically face the challenging task of preparing
young minds for the future, and they think strategically about the goals and
systems that will support this task.
There are a number of different traits, skills, mindsets, and habits that define 21st
Century leaders
 PERSONAL TRAITS OF A 21ST CENTURY LEADER

Personal qualities like curiosity, persistence, resilience, flexibility, responsibility

and hard work are as important as ever for leaders. Whatever changes come,
these school principal leadership qualities are always the key to success.
Remember, also, that nobody is born with all the qualities of an effective school
leader fully realized. Part of being a leader is having the will to work on personal
growth and improving yourself constantly.

Other qualities are increasingly important for leaders: creativity,

entrepreneurship, innovation, constant learning and teamwork are all crucial for
today’s leaders.
 MINDSETS OF A 21ST CENTURY LEADER
The way you think can change your life and your school. It might sound like a platitude, but it’s
not just ‘woo’. A positive mindset makes you confident and encourages you to take risks when
needed and to think outside the box. To begin with, are you even thinking about yourself as a
leader? Too often, people forget to think about the school principal as leader. You should be truly
nurturing yourself as a leader, not getting bogged down in administration and the small details.
Read about developing a Growth Mindset instead of a Fixed Mindset, and start to look at whether
you are thinking in a way that promotes growth or that will lead to failure. Nothing will undermine
success in your career and in your school like a pattern of unhealthy self-talk.

In addition to a positive Growth Mindset, you should also cultivate a global perspective, and avoid
the temptation to think small. Approaching everything with a view to sustainability, wellbeing and the
big picture, and you’ll help create a culture that encourages students to do the same. Leading and
managing change in schools is much less overwhelming with these big touchstones remaining
constant.
 SKILLS OF A 21ST CENTURY LEADER
The key skills for a leader in 2018 include teamwork, high EQ, and focus. These things are
crucial for managing yourself, and managing others. EQ involves self awareness and
social awareness, an understanding of people, and good relationship management. This
allows you to understand and be responsive to your own needs and the needs of people
around you. It fosters communication and collaboration, which is the path to unlocking
collective genius.
Focus is a fundamental skill for everybody in the information age, but especially for busy
people in demanding roles. This includes focus in the moment – being able to stop
checking your emails and immerse yourself in deep work – as well as focus on a broader
scale – knowing what are the key values and goals, personally and for your school, and
keeping them central.
Building leadership capacity in schools around the world. Participants at the ‘School
Leadership for 21st Century’ 2-day workshop at NIST International School, Bangkok.
 HABITS OF A 21ST CENTURY LEADER
Effective leaders work with those around them, making a habit of seeking
constructive feedback and reflecting on how things can be improved. They
recognize the importance of collaboration to unlocking collective genius, but they
also know how to set boundaries. If you’re a school leader, you know how precious
your time is: guard it as such! Don’t waste time on meetings that could be emails,
tasks better suited to somebody else’s skill set, and things that don’t contribute to
either your personal goals or the school’s goals.
Build healthy habits that create a framework to help you perform at your best. From
getting enough sleep to carving out uninterrupted time with your family, these non-
work habits support your work. Look for things that aren’t working in your life, and
trial new ways of solving the problem. If your solution works, make it a habit so you
can stop giving it so much time and attention.
 DEVELOPING 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP IN YOUR SCHOOL
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Building leadership capacity in schools should never be limited to training
principals and heads: an intelligent and committed team who are on the same page
is invaluable. It can be overwhelming to know where to begin developing that.
Often formal school leadership training is assumed to be the answer, in the form of
professional development days, one-off school leadership programs, and school
leadership conferences. While a school leadership conference or some thought out
school leadership courses can be incredibly useful, they can only be truly effective
in the context of an ongoing commitment to change. A school leadership program
should help you establish strategies and tools that you can use over time to drive
change, not simply inspire you in a way that ends along with the event.
 DEVELOPING 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP IN YOUR SCHOOL
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Whatever your school leadership framework, educational leadership training will
help make your school a trailblazer, and help make yours a school for global
leaders of the future.
Whether you’re leaders of a new school or an established school, whether you’re
part of international school leadership or local independent school leadership,
committing to establishing solid leadership in an ongoing manner can make you a
thought leader school, with others wondering how you did it.
 DEVELOPING 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP IN YOUR SCHOOL
LEADERSHIP TEAM
If you’re looking for education leadership courses to get your school
leadership team on the right path, check out my workshop, ‘Leadership
for the 21st Century’.
It offers personalized leadership development for your team, and
assists you in developing strategies and systems for the future.
I also offer personal leadership coaching to principals. Leading
coaching in schools can assist principals and other leaders in reaching
their full potential. Take control of your career and the future of your
school now, and reap the benefits.